Rob Zwemmer (NLR) received the award from CEO James Truchard
This month NLR engineers received a prestigious award from National Instruments (NI), a renowned, global player in the field of measurement, control and test instrumentation. The Engineering Impact Awards are presented each year during NIWeek in Austin, Texas, and showcase the most innovative projects based on NI software and hardware. NLR received the award in the ‘Physical Test and Monitoring’ category.
NLR designed and realized an advanced system for characterizing the sound profiles of a new Airbus aircraft. NLR achieved this in collaboration with German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW) as part of the European Union’s Clean Sky program.
Within the Clean Sky framework, Airbus is developing an Open Rotor Engine propulsion system for passenger aircraft. This model, which features two contra rotating open rotor engines, can achieve substantial fuel savings. The noise generated by the rotors is a focal point of the Open Rotor system.
The noise measurements of the Airbus model (1:7) with open rotor engines were completed in DNW’s large low-speed wind tunnel (LLF) in 2013. In order to measure the sounds in relation to the position of the rotors, NLR used an NI system (NI PXI Express System) that was incorporated in the wind tunnel model. This allowed all the signals from the 200 microphones and pressure sensors to be synchronized within 1 microsecond.
CROR model in the DNW-LLF
It was for this noteworthy use of the NI measurement instrumentation’s specific capabilities that NLR received the Engineering Impact Award. In addition, NLR developed a special telemetry unit, which is an advanced system that is part of the rotors and wirelessly transmits data about pressure, force and temperature. More information about the award: http://www.ni.com/impactawards/explore_2014.htm
Also visit our Avionics Development, Wind tunnel models, Wind tunnel equipment and Flight Physics capability pages.
